The American Medical Association has established new principles to guide the development and operation of accountable care organizations, which emphasize physician leadership and patient participation.

Recognizing that accountable care organizations (ACOs) are an emerging model of patient care, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates adopted new principles for ACOs at its 2010 Interim Meeting in November. The AMA’s timing coincides with a request last week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for comments regarding ACOs, which emphasized that CMS is seeking additional input “particularly from the physician community” on several key ACO issues under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (For more information about this request for comments, see “CMS Seeks Comments on Standards for ACOs Under Shared Savings and CMMI.”)